The Importance of Safe Driving

Every year millions of teens get behind the wheel of a car some starting as young as age fifteen. Being behind the wheel of a car is a huge responsibility. You not only have your life at stake but you have to be careful of others around you and the passengers in your vehicle. In most states there is a level of driver education required. Some states require a class and a certain number of practice hours driving with a licensed adult in the car with you. I think this practice and education is of the utmost importance and needs to be prioritized more than current standards. The goal of driver education is to make sure the next generation of drivers understand safety and how to properly operate a vehicle. If someone is properly educated and understands what to do and not to do while driving this would help reduce the number of driving related deaths by a lot. Many young people do not fully understand the seriousness of reckless driving while they are being taught. They need to see what texting and driving or goofing off behind the wheel can do.

I believe that in order to reduce the number of deaths there should be a longer education process. That would mean more hours behind the wheel, more required in-person classes, and potentially raising the minimum age requirement to get a drivers license. While there is nothing wrong with the age requirement now if it were raised the hope would be that the people who get their permits will be more mature and have a better understanding of the significant responsibility that comes with getting behind the wheel of a vehicle. This may be the least viable option, but requiring more classes and hours behind the wheel is not. In my state there is one eight hour classroom session and three behind the wheel sessions required before you are allowed to take the driving test. If the number was raised it would give the student more time to learn with an actual instructor and more practice before they are sent off driving by themselves.

Thankfully I have never had an experience with a bad accident and neither has any of my close friends or family. However several of my friends drive irresponsibly and I have witnessed it many times. I have witnessed a lot of them drive while on their phones. They do not text as much as they are Snapchatitng and searching music on their phones. These things are just as distracting as texting because your eyes are off the road and it only takes one second for a terrible crash to happen. It is also hard for me and many others because it is a difficult situation to tell someone that you are uncomfortable riding with them. I have gotten to the point where it does not bother me and if my friends are on their phones I politely ask them to put it away while driving. But what happens if it is a family member driving irresponsibly? A child may then learn that it’s okay to drive that way and it becomes a vicious cycle of irresponsible driving. There comes a point when everyone needs to learn that irresponsible driving should not be allowed.

I do not think that there are a lot of steps to becoming a better and safer driver; I believe there are a few steps we can identify to ensure everyone including teenagers are safe. The first would be education. This does not have to come solely from a classroom and a driving instructor. Parents can teach their kids about responsible driving from a young age. Parents can set a good example for their children by making it a point to not text and drive or even eat and drive. That way when a teenager is learning to operate a vehicle they have the foundation of a proper and safe way to drive. Another example would be to enforce how dangerous irresponsible driving can be. This is something I can take an active part in by communicating to my friends when they are being reckless and encoring them to stay focused on driving. I think these small steps no matter how small they seem could make a huge impact. I feel that if we work hard to educate teens and enforce safe driving we could greatly reduce the number of teen vehicle deaths. Taking an active role in vehicle safety is something that everyone can participate in no matter their age.